seriously astray. But if his message is some- times apocalyptic, it’s also restorative. “If you increase soil organic carbon by

I

1% over 12 inches of depth, it can sequester 59 more tons of CO2 per square acre. “So think of it this way,” he continues.

“About 12% of the Earth is arable. If we increased organic matter on all arable land by 1.6%, we could sequester enough carbon to get us back to the preindustrial level of 299 parts per million of CO2.” The global warming tipping point is

largely agreed to be about 400 parts per million. So by some estimates, soils have the potential to save us from ourselves— but only if we treat them more wisely.

Raising the Dead Before soils can do any heavy lifting, they may need re-animation. That’s because the model of industrial agriculture adopted fol-

n his dry, matter of fact way, Fulford doesn’t pull any punches about his views of how modern society— agriculture in particular—has gone

lowing World War II, Fulford asserts, is one based on mining, not biology. In this model, crops aren’t really grown in soils, they’re grown in chemical soup. “A lot of farmers put what is essential-

ly mustard gas on their soils,” Fulford says. “In one swipe, they kill the whole ecosys- tem. When you break up the soil fungi and add phosphorous, the fertilizer burns out the natural humus.” Similar destructive methodologies of-

ten carry over into the development of con- struction sites. Contractors like to bulldoze every living thing off the site, then compact the soil with heavy equipment. Once they fi nish the house, they spread replacement soils and “turf” around, then spray it all down with petroleum based nitrogen, so that lawns have the semblance of health. “Why do we buy nitrogen and jam

it into the soil,” Fulford asks, “when there are columns of air containing hundreds of pounds of nitrogen over every foot of soil? Nature knows how to draw carbon in and bank it in the soil. It’s not impossible for

HOW LIFE-SUPPORTING SOIL IS FORMED

The pace at which new soils capable of sustaining life are made is generally very slow—up to 1,000 years to create an inch of new soil.

&#62; 1. Initially, physical weathering processes dominate: breaking down bedrock into smaller particles. The smaller particles have a greater surface area (exposure), which accelerates the physical weathering processes and allows chemical weathering processes to become more prominent.

&#62; 2. Disintegration and decomposition of rock and mineral material release nutrient elements that support plant life. Plants, through dead leaf litter and roots, contribute organic mate- rial to the soil surface that further accelerates the soil formation process. This organic matter produces a darker surface color and increases structural stability.

&#62; 3. An increase in soil organic matter content and the formation of humus provide a better environment for microorganisms. Microorgan- isms respond by increasing in number—and their activity further enhances soil fertility.

&#62; 4. Water movement through the soil profile transports materials downwards from the surface, thus accelerating the formation of soil horizons.